CAPTAIN MARK

Captain Mark M. Tognazzini was born in
1954, in San Luis Obispo, CA. He was 7th born of Wilmar and Henrietta
Tognazzini’s ten children and has been a resident of Morro Bay, CA his entire
life. His family includes wife Bonnie, son Marc, and daughter Leah.

Mark attended public and private schools in
San Luis Obispo County, and also participated as an American Field Service
Exchange Student in Corrientes, Argentina. He attended Cuesta Community College
in San Luis Obispo, CA, and Crawford’s Nautical Academy, in San Francisco, CA.

EXPERIENCE, 1968-1980

Mark’s earliest jobs in Morro Bay
(starting in 1968) were as a retail clerk and fish cutter at Port Morro Fish
Market, as a retail clerk at Brebes Sportfishing, and as a retail clerk and deck
hand at Virg’s Landing. He later was a deckhand for the Sea Venture I. Starting
in 1977 he served as skipper of the Shirlee (Bob’s Sportfishing), as well as for
the Diablo, the Cheyenne, and the Marauder (Port San Luis Sportfishing). In
1978, he supervised the construction of the Big Mama I (Hittle’s Landing), as
well as the final outfitting of the Big Mama II. He was also operations manager
of the landing and skippered both vessels.

Mark’s experience includes sea time on a
number of other vessels between 1968 and 1980. He often worked weekends while
attending school, and did coastal deliveries, as well as provided relief for
other crews. Time on the following vessels could have been as little as several
days to as much as several weeks or months. (Boat owners follow each boat
name.)

EXPERIENCE, 1981 to present

Mark has been the self-employed
owner/operator of the Bonnie Marietta since her construction in 1981. He also
supervised her construction and did the final outfitting. Together they have
fished commercially from the Mexican border to Sitka, Alaska, in pursuit of hook
and line rockfish and halibut; gillnet rockfish, halibut, shark, and herring;
troll-caught salmon and albacore; trap-caught hagfish, prawns, crabs, rockfish,
and black cod;
and lampara-caught sardines and mackerel. He has also provided a wide variety of
charter services with the Bonnie Marietta, including but not limited to, diver
support, side scan, multi beam, sub-bottom profiling, core sampling, water
sampling, oil recovery, marine mammal observation, and ROV support, etc. (For
more information on our charter work, click HERE.)